Tag Archives: Indigeneity

Jessica Presta: Module 4, Post 5

My review of social media and its affordances for Indigenous people seeking to explore and share their identities would not be complete without a look at some of the challenges to engaging in these digital spaces. Many Indigenous social media users have to continually weigh the risk vs benefit of being open about their Indigeneity in online spaces. This is due to the potential for backlash, racism, bullying, and violence. If they do share their Indigeneity, then it becomes a question of how much.

In Carlson and Kennedy’s (2019) article, they analyze results from their online survey of Indigenous respondents and share many of the challenges they face to participating in these environments as openly Indigenous. Some participants discuss sharing their Indigeneity to then only have it be questioned because they don’t look a certain way. Some have had to face stereotypes of criminality and inferiority. Others have faced intense discrimination and prejudice. Because of this, 50% of their respondents stated they omit certain aspects of their Indigeneity for safety and self preservation. One respondent discussed how social media can fuel these behaviors because it “gives racism a platform and … becomes a tool for people with not very good intentions” (2019). What was new for me, is that this form of racism is called ‘platformed racism’ because it is derived from the culture of social media platforms.

Anonymity has been another factor in the ability of social media users incivility to go unchecked. There have been many studies done that depict how this behavior is tied to whether or not the user’s identity is intact or not. Sadly, they discuss how racism in these digital environments is on the rise and how 62% of their respondents had faced racist and harmful content daily. Despite this, Indigenous people continue to brave online trolls, and risk their safety, in order to control what their identity is and how they want to share it.

Module 1 (Post 4) – Celebrating Indigeneity in Science

Celebrating Indigeneity in Science

This webpage was created as the result of a virtual discussion hosted by Wilfred Laurier University on International Women’s Day in 2021. The Laurier Centre for Women in Science (WinS) welcomed indigenous women scholars to share their work and personal stories and collected the information in to a number of resources with the intent of “building a vibrant and inclusive scientific community.” I have enjoyed browsing the various resources here and thought you might too. My hope is that at least one of them will be relevant to your teaching practice. I know there are few that I will refer to in future as I teach undergraduate science labs!

Jessica Presta: Module 2, Post 3

Another resource I wanted to call out for educators looking to decolonize their curriculum is the ‘First peoples principles of learning‘. This poster was created by the First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC) and as a classroom resource aimed at highlighting the main principles of First Peoples learning practices. The role and responsibilities of the FNESC is to support First Nations students and advance First Nations education in BC. Their website has a plethora of resources aimed at supporting this goal.

Jessica Presta: Module 2, Post 2

During my research for my final project, I came across this website that offers a few resources related to equity, diversity and inclusion in health. This website is robust in its resources, including but not limited to: journal articles, open access databases, report from the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, a collection of Indigenous health related digital artifacts, links to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report, and links to the UN declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Jessica Presta: Module 1, Post 4

For this post I wanted to share a resource for educators to support the indigenization of their programs, classrooms, and pedagogical practices. BC Campus is an online resource that aims to support the evolution of education across the province through collaboration, communication and innovation. One of their resources for this is their Indigenization project. The goal of this project is to offer open resources to educators to support the incorporation of Indigenous epistemologies into their practice, systematically decolonizing post-secondary education. Some of these resources include:

Learn about Indigenous histories in Canada:
Learn about decolonizing your course materials and teaching practices:

Jessica Presta: Module 1, Post 3

I wanted to draw attention to the First Nations in BC Knowledge Network’s website. This network was put together with the goal of facilitating networking and knowledge sharing among First Nations communities, individuals, and organizations within the province. A platform like this has the power to bring ideas and resources together to support the rebuilding and growing of Nations. Within the site there is a robust directory of BC First Nations services, Indian Bands as well as resources available to the Indigenous people of BC.

References

First Nations Technology Council (n.d.) First nations in bc knowledge network: A space to exchange information between first nations communities. https://firstnationsbc.ca/about-us

Jessica Presta: Module 1, Post 2

For my second blog post, I wanted to share some of the small ways I try and incorporate Indigenous voices and representation in my daily life. Through the use of digital technologies and the advent of social media, I am able to expose and connect myself to Indigenous content creators, and they, are able to create content and share to a worldwide audience.

One content creator I love and follow is Cree, James Jones, and goes by the name Notorious Cree. He shares his journey of reconnecting with his own culture through traditional dance and uses his platform to encourage others to do the same and to find pride in who they are. James Jones has found a way to connect with his audience through orality, using videos which are educational, and include teachings about his dance and his culture. To view his works, click here.

Another content creator who I enjoy following to learn about their culture is Shina Novalinga. She is Inuk and is known for her TikTok videos where she throat sings with her mom as well as her activism. Her content ranges from educational material about Inuit culture to some of the challenges people in her community and other northern Indigenous communities face. To view her works, click here.

I genuinely feel that social media is in the hands of the creator, giving them a platform from which they can tell their stories without the (colonial) influence of others. Both of these content creators have over 3.5 million followers, thus their reach is far. They control their stories and how they want to share their culture with the world, empowering themselves, breaking stereotypes and showcasing the diversity among Indigenous people across North America.

M1 P2 Five Ideas to Support Indigenous Languages in Canada

As a language teacher, I love the idea of incorporating more Indigenous language learning into the classroom. This video is short, sweet and to the point.  It provides 5 easy ways of supporting Indigenous language revitalization in Canada. As we have read in this week’s readings, language is an important part of Indigenous culture and knowledge.

The main suggestions for support from the video are :

  • Learn a greeting and a response from an Indigenous language
  • Learn more Indigenous phrases and words through smart phone apps (such as First Voices)
  • Learn the names of local mountains, lakes, towns and rivers in a local Indigenous language (I hope to to do this with my students next week!)
  • Watch a movie or TV show in an Indigenous language
  • Listen to artists in an Indigenous language

These five suggestions remind me of the following First Peoples Principle of Learning :

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8Zf-Id0SQ4&t=10s

Module 2 Post 5 (Sam Charles)

Making Things Our Own: The Indigenous Aesthetic in Digital Storytelling

This essay makes use of the characteristics of oral storytelling to define indigenous
perspectives on narrative and to provide a framework in which to interpret video and new media art created by Zacharias Kunuk, Nation to Nation’s Cyberpowwow project
and Paula Giese’s Native Ameri can Indian Resources.

https://muse-jhu-edu.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/article/200347 (login via UBC)

 

 

 

Ohneganos is an Indigenous water research program led by McMaster University Professor, Dr. Dawn Martin Hill.

https://www.ohneganos.com/digital-stories

 

 

Traditional Storytelling in the Digital Classroom

2013 ETEC 521 assignment by Camille McFarlane focusing on traditional storytelling in the Digital Classroom

 

Sharing Indigenous Knowledge through inter-generational digital storytelling: Design of a workshop engaging Elders and youth

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/03601277.2021.1927484?needAccess=true

Module 2 post 4 (Sam Charles)

ETEC 521 Module 2 post 3

https://niemanreports.org/articles/telling-indigenous-stories/

Story about how mainstream media cover Indigenous stories — interesting parallels to Nanook of the North.

 

Chapter 11 Storytelling, Culture, and Indigenous Methodology

https://brill.com/view/book/9789004465916/BP000023.xml

Storytelling in a digital age: digital storytelling as an emerging narrative method for preserving and promoting Indigenous oral wisdom

The IM4 Media Lab Podcast amplifies immersive Indigenous storytelling